The Irish standard., 1887-07-09
WILLIAM 0'BRIEN IN CORK.
The Freedom Of the City Presented
to Him--His Speech in
Response.
LANSDOWNE'S R0WDY FRIENDS
Receive Severe Scoring Prom the Brave
and Talented Editor Of
United Ireland,

When the hero Of the anti I.ansdowne
campaign in Canada arrived in Cork on
his way home. he Vas ]ionized and
treated with the utmost consideration
Among other things that happened, the
civic corporation, headed by the mayor,
offered him the freedom Of their city,
with all the honors. In recognition of
this courtesy Mr. O'Brien spoke as fol-
lows, a large audience listening: ~
feel in more danger of breaking down
here to Gay at this scene than I renem~
ber to- have felt before Lord Lansdowne's IS
Mobs in Canada. I feel amazed and
overwhelmed at the vely unexpected
honor that awaited me here to-day at
the bands Of the municipal representa-
tives of this beautiful and ancient city,
which I love so well. 1t would be i'm
possible, even. Sir, with all your lngen-
uity of hospitality in Cork, it would be
impossible for you to select an honor OF
privilege that | would value more
highly, that comes home more closely
to nay heart, than to make me free
man of the city Of Cork, with which
some of the earliest and best associa,
tions OF ray life are entwined, feel
almost too much affected to speak upon
the subject, I eau only say that it is
ample compensation TO me here TO day
for whatever we haye passed through,
and for whatever anxieties have 0p~
posed our path on the other side Of the
Atlantic. I don mind confessing now
that L never III all my life approached a
duty with so lively sense of the risks
and Of the terrible responsibilities that
surrounded us wherever we turned on
our way to Canada. ( don't speak of
the brutalities of our friends the Orange
men. + hope they won't be offended
with me for saying they were the very
least part Of our trouble. The very
worst way Of intimidating AT Irish Ma
tionaiist in our day from whatever he
has a legal right to go, and saying
whatever he has highland wish to say
the worst way possible of turning an
Irish Nationalist from his intentions in
that way is TO brandish q revolver in
his face. should have supposed that
these Toronto Orangeinen had learned
that much, at all events. They have
learned it now, and don't believe they
will ever forget the lesson. These
Nangemen are not serious politicians
{Here, here, and laughter.) They are
small animals, and they occupied a very
small share Of Our thoughts oranxieties
in going to Canada. There weremoun.
taiils of misrepresentation and caiumny
which we had to face-which we had to
put down. There was danger that
some time-serving friends might not 90
far enough, and there was much more
formidable danger that some Of our
passionate and head-strong friends
might go too far, but the feeling above
all others that weighed upon me night
and day, aud The apprehension, was for
fear that any disaster OF act or word of
mine might compromise our beloved
leader, Charles Stewart Parnell, and
was not going here Or anywhere else, to
forget our il]ustrious English ally, Will
liam E. Gladstone. There was the aw-
full risk Of embarrassing these men in
the dreadful conflict they were waging
against malignant and unscrupulous
foes. The risks were great; some peo-
pie thought them insuperable, but there
was one greater risk. and that was that
these clearances at Luggacurran should
go unpllnished; and that we should not
strike blow-that we should have al
lowed man like Lansdowne to DESC
late and depopulate an Irish valley of
it's whole population, merely because
he was a rich man and the Queens vice.
roy, surrounded with flatterers and
courtiers far away from Canada. No,
I believe that no danger to the Irish
cause could equal the danger Of letting
Lord Lansdowne off scot free in this
matter, without, at all events, protest
against this crime-a protest all the
world should near, and, to the last day
of my life, it shall be my proudest re-
membrance that protest has been made,
and that all the world has heard it.
Lord Lansdowne's crime at Luggacur-
ran tracked him across seas and lands.
ALI his powers, riches and majesty in
Ottawa have not saved him. There in
the very midst of his courtiers and fiat
terers he has been arraigned and has
been convicted and branded with his
guilt in the sight of the world. I be-
lieve there is not a more lonesome or !
more despised or a more miserable man
IN that Dominion of Canada to-day,
than;its governor general, the EXTERN
lnator Of Luggacurran. He struck at
ls from Canada, and in Canada we